For Manchester City, there are really only two team news items to cover for the Saturday clash at Aston Villa. Defender Manuel Akanji could overcome his pelvic injury in time to be passed fit, and young full-back Rico Lewis is now eligible again, having finished serving his suspension.
Otherwise the same trio of players (Oscar Bobb, Nathan Ake and Rodri) remain out.
Manchester City at Aston Villa FYIs
Kick off: 8:15 pm, Saturday December 21, 12:30pm, Villa Park, Birmingham, UK
Preview Content for Both Sides: Team News Starting XI Prediction
PL Position: Man City 5th, 27 pts Aston Villa 7th, 25 pts
Form Guide: Man City LLWDL Aston Villa DLWWL
Google Result Probability: Man City 46% Aston Villa 29% Draw 25%
Another major story line to watch in this match is Jack Grealish. He returns to his boyhood club having not scored in over a year! City bought the winger from Villa three summers ago and made him the first 100 million English player in history.
Given what an utter flop he’s been at The Etihad though, he really never should have left.
Aston Villa Team News
Tyrone Mings (unspecified virus) and Leon Bailey (thigh) both face late fitness tests in order to feature here. Meanwhile Jacob Rasmey (thigh) is still a couple weeks or so away. And that covers that.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.